Trump-backed drone firm signs $22.3 million Gulf counter-drone deal

Powerus, a US drone company backed by the sons of President Donald Trump, has signed a $22.3 million contract to provide counter-drone detection equipment to an energy company in the Persian Gulf.

The West Palm Beach-based company will supply equipment capable of detecting and tracking incoming drones under a deal with an undisclosed energy firm. The system is expected to eventually work with Powerus’ Guardian interceptors, although the current contract does not include the defensive systems, Bloomberg writes. 

“The modern battlefield made it so companies now have to protect themselves and that’s just the reality where it’s all going, even if it’s just simple detection,” Powerus President Brett Velicovich said.

Powerus declined to identify the company or country involved, citing security concerns, and did not disclose the specific facilities that will be protected.

The deal reflects growing efforts by private companies in the region to strengthen their own defences amid heightened security risks linked to the conflict with Iran. Iranian forces have used relatively inexpensive drones against high-value infrastructure, while conventional air-defence systems are costly, limited in supply and generally not available commercially.

“You’re not going to give a Patriot missile battery to an Amazon warehouse,” Velicovich said. “This is the new insurance policy.”

Powerus said its system will combine lower-cost interceptors, sensors and automated technology, along with personnel to operate the equipment and training for local security forces.

The company has received several US defence contracts and is planning to merge with Aureus Greenway Holdings Inc., a golf-course operator backed by Trump’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The publicly listed company announced the proposed merger earlier this year, although the deal has not yet closed.

By Sabina Mammadli